i'm ezra klein. thank you for watching tonight. rachel will be back tomorrow. stay tuned for lawrence o'donnell. so marriage number one. . saying goodbye. whitney houston returns had her home state as her family makes funeral plans. rick santorum picking up steam in the race for republican votes and diva dogs. coifed canines compete in the kennel club dog show. good morning everyone. i'm lynn berry. this is first look on msnbc. we begin this morning with coming home.

the body of singer whitney houston is back in her home state of new jersey this morning where plans for a memorial and funeral to be held later this week are being made. meanwhile, questions and the investigation into what exactly killed the pop star continue. nbc's sara edwards has the latest. >> the body of 48-year-old whitney houston arrived late monday night back in her home state of new jersey. earlier in the day, after the singer's remains were released to her family, her body was taken to a funeral home and prepared for a flight back to newark. as houston made her final flight, questions surrounding her sudden death saturday at the beverly hilton continue. los angeles county coroner's office confirmed that bottles of prescriptions were found in her hotel room and they're looking for all possibilities that could have led to her death. >> the person could have suffered a heart attack or embolism or something. no matter what medications they're taking, until we run a tox and see the level and what's

in the system, we're not going to speculate. >> it could take six weeks to complete the reports. other factors, such as drowning will be looked into as the beverly hills police department told reporters that houston's body was found submerged in a bathtub by one of her staff. >> a public memorial at the prudential center is expected to draw thousands of fans and friends and family. >> i think not just the city of new york and the state of new jersey, but across the country and across the world. >> sara edwards, msnbc. in washington, the tug of war over the nation's finances continues. with president obama rolling out his election year budget. house republicans signalled a full reversal in their position in spiraling tax cuts. tracie potts joins us with more from washington. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. let's start with the budget. $3.8 trillion. it's the biggest the country has

seen with $1.5 trillion in new taxes primarily on the wealthy, oil companies and big banks. there's new spending in in budget. president obama calls it investments in our future. roads, college, energy, manufacturing. there's well over a trillion dollar deficit for the fourth year in a row. although the white house says that will go down over the course of a decade. republican reaction, as you might imagine, not great on capitol hill. mitch mcconnell calls it a campaign document. senator jeff sessions on the budget committee says this is debt on arrival. let's talk about the payroll tax cut we got this year. will it be extended? it looks like republican reversed saying that they will support an extension without paying for it first. that's for this year. they said democrats were not negotiating in good faith. the white house reak, that's a hypothetical backup plan. >> tracie, thanks.

let's go back to the budget proposal. last night on the edge show, independent senator bernie sanders told host ed why he thinks the president's plan will immediately address some of the biggest problems facing america today. >> the united states today has the most unequal distribution of wealth and income than think country. wealthiest are doing well. effective tax rate the lowest in decade. if we're serious about two things, number one, the need to create millions of jobs, the need to make investments in our energy system, transforming energy, rebuilding our infrastructure, it is totally appropriate that we ask the wealthiest people to pay more in taxes and that's where the bucket rule comes in. second of all, what the president said which i think most americans would agree, we got to end the bush tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country. he's absolutely right on that. thirdly, what he said we have to end tax breaks for oil and gas companies. we have had companies in recent

years, exxon-mobil among other companies making billions of dollars in a given year in profits and paying nothing in federal income tax. that is totally absurd. >> each night veteran talk host ed schultz and guests debate and discuss the most important issues affecting americans. watch the ed show at 8:00 even only on msnbc. the place for politics. the latest pugh research poll numbers size up the republican primary race and the matchups against president obama. rick santorum' support is surging. santorum is now in a virtual tie with mitt romney. with santorum edging romney by two points, 30% to 28%. that same poll found president obama with sizable leads over the top two republicans. he may face in november. mr. obama leads santorum by ten points and romney by 8 points. here's your first look at

other news going on around america today. protesters dangled from a washington, d.c. bridge unif you recalling a banner. three people were arrested, including two hanging from ropes and lowered into police boats. their demonstration is one of several expected during the visit of china's vice president. in charlotte, a school bus driver who rescued all of her passengers from an inferno last week was honored. she was at the wheel last wednesday when an electrical fire broke out in the dashboard. richardson immediately told all six kids on board to go to the back of the bus, she then helped them escape. she says she's not a hero. just part of the job. >> finally, the harlem globetrotters are soaring to new heights. look at that guy. he's going to have to duck. meet the world's tallest professional basketball player. paul sturgess 7'8" tall where

else on top the empire state building. his nickname? tiny. >> the dogs have taken over new york at the westminster dog show. a pekinese won for the second year in a row as top toy. he could grab best in show honors later tonight. there are more than 2,000 entries and 185 breeds. martha stewart's entry, g.k., took home best of breed. of course, the stars of the show are being pampered backstage. hairstyling and all. now for a look at the national weather. bill karen has our meteorologist is here. >> they have the best hotels too. >> the four seasons is sold out because of the poodles. >> yes. >> the bar is very interesting that night. good morning everyone. we're talking about a little bit of light snow, slippery drive.

heading outside in detroit, you'll have a little bit of snow, maybe half inch to an inch. louisville, kentucky, we've had a burst of snow, northern louisville and northern kentucky. the roads are slippery. it isn't a big winter event, just little bit of light snow. even in pittsburgh likely throughout the morning hours. to the south of that, all rain for you. don't have to worry about icy roads. had sleet in areas near huntsville, alabama. now it's just rain heading into south carolina. it's not going to last through much of the day. much of your valentine's day will be pretty good. we get rid of this messy weather. it's going to be cloudy just about everywhere in the eastern portion of the u.s. today. unlike the sunny day we had yesterday. leave the sunglasses at home. what's next? there's a storm system out here in arizona. typically, this is a location in february where you get a storm here, usually attacks the moisture out of the gulf. we're talking about a pretty big snowstorm across the country. this winter, we haven't been getting the snowstorm. it's been too warm. that's the case.

the mild air is forming in texas. it's going to come out ahead of that storm. this is going to be a rainmaker across the country through the middle of february. there's no cold air in sight. we had that shot of cold air in the east. the areas in blue, show you where the cold air is now. mostly in canada and along the northern u.s. the really frigid stuff is up here in the purple and the white. look at the next seven days. a little bit of cool air over the northern plains into new england this weekend. we don't see arctic air. nothing really, really cold. we don't have any snowstorms on the way at all now even towards the end much february february. your valentine's day forecast. beautiful day in san antonio and houston in the mid 70s. cool, but not bad in the northern plains. even areas of the east will be a lot of clouds and light showers here and there. it's not going to rain on anyone's valentine's day. coming up, apple hits a milestone. ipad upgrade rumors. how your valentine's get to be arctic. your first look at the business

headlines is straight ahead. coming up, lebron goes buck hunting. a wild go on the ice and a poolside proposal. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. food, meet flavor. flavor, meet food. introducing swanson flavor boost. concentrated broth in easy to use packets. mix it into skillet dishes, for an instant dose of... hell-o! [ female announcer ] new swanson flavor boost.

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welcome back to first look. i'm lynn berry. here's the top stories making news this morning. adding to high tensions, israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu is blaming iran for nearly simultaneous attacks on israeli it diplomats yesterday. four people were injured when a car was set on fire just hours after a bomb was diffused in the former soviet republican of georgia. iran denies involvement. a high ranking official effectively pointed a finger for indiscriminate attacks on syrian civilians saying president bashar al assad has been emboldened after the security council's efforts were vetoed to

stop the bloody crackdown. steven briar and his wife were robbed by a machete wielding bandit at his vacation home last week. fortunately, neither were hurt. new jersey state senate passed a bill approving same sex marriage. the measure is expected to pass the state assembly this week setting up a conflict with governor chris christie who has vowed a veto. finally, it was a close call for a wild boar in italy that lost its footing and tumbled 300 feet down a snowy mountainside. impressively, the boar picked itself up and slowly walked away. it was fine there. here's your first look at how wall street kicks off. the dow opens at 12,874 after gaining 72 points yesterday. the s&p was up 9 points, the nasdaq rose 27. taking a look at overseas trading. the nikkei added 52 point and the hang seng added 30.

sdpliefrj the markets may act to credit downgrades and economic debt here at home. the commerce department will release retail sales figures for january. moody's investor service down graded credit ratings on italy, portugal and spain and three smaller members of the european union. france, britain and austria kept top ratings but had outlooks dropped from negative to stable. apple stock went above $500 a share for the first time monday, two weeks after the company announced it doubled profits last year. all the speculation about apple's new ipad 3 could end as early as wednesday march 7th. the company announcement on the new and improved tablet. google won approval from u.s. and european anti-trust regulators to acquire motorola mobility in a deal worth $12.5 billion. the ceo of gulf oil expect gas prices to approach $4 a gallon this summer because of

refineries closing and middle east tension. general electric. partial owner of this network plans to hire 5,000 military veterans over the next five years. soon, you'll be able to buy a piece of the empire state building. when the owner of the skyscraper goes public with an ipo to raise a billion dollars for new building upgrades. finally, delivering valentine's day flowers can be a little tricky. especially in the far north of canada. getting roses to the arctic requires special wrapping to keep them cool but not frozen. and then a small airline helps cupid by making the deliveries which air. coming up, the heat wilt the bucs, the orange men squeeze out a win and the puck pounces san jose's way. plus, in the water for a pair of poolside valentine's. she looks surprised. a look at sports ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

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or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. welcome back to first looks. i'm lynn berry. in sports last night the nba champion dallas mavericks sent thanks to a former teammate and he almost ended upbeating them. here's nbc's fred rogan. >> good morning. so how popular have the l.a. clippers become? the vice president of chien will visit los angeles and asked for tickets to a clippers game. fortunately, the team isn't in town. he has to settle for a lakers game. oh, how times have changed. mean while the clippers and dallas, butler received a championship ring from the

owner, mark cuban. he could have won the game in the final seconds but couldn't knock down the three. dirk nowitzki had -- milwaukee beaten miami twice this week. but the buck stops here. lebron jail, a man among boys. 114-96. college hoops, syracuse escaped louisville with a win. just over 2:00 to play. amazingly, neither team scored the rest of the way. syracuse beat louisville, 52-51. hockey, you know you're having a bad when this happens. dan boyle ripped a shot from the headlines. tipped it into the blue line and they didn't have a chance. like a shortstop trying to fend off a wild hop. he was handcuffed. the jets scored a similar goal last week. oddly enough, that goal was also against the capitals. swimming team members know about the olympic rings.

now they share another type of ring. he was taking diamonds. after winning the 100 meter back stroke, his girlfriend and fellow swimmer congratulated him on the podium. that's when matt dove headfirst into the deep end. got down on one knee and popped the question. look at her face. she could not believe it. it took her a few seconds but she said yes. matt and andy, the new power couple of american swimming. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. hers phil karins. all the men at dinner to pop the question say they have to think of something creative. >> do you think this is the most popular day to ask? >> that and christmastime. >> it's a little cliche. no offense to the guys. wait until tomorrow. >> put the ring back in your pocket. >> be original. >> good morning everyone. we'll leave it at that. we're looking at light snow.

saw that pittsburgh is reporting light snow this morning. areas in pennsylvania have a little coating. we're also showing up snow north of d.c. and north of baltimore. some of that may be hitting the ground. some may not. a lot of it is evaporating the air is so dry. keep an eye on roads in maryland or pennsylvania if you're heading out this morning. forecastwise, another mild day. it will be temperatures soaring into the 40s in most areas. whatever snowflakes you get, light rain later today. temperatures in pittsburgh will get up to 39. even boston at 43. so much for the cold air. it's gone. as far as the rest of valentine's day. light rain in the deep south. middle of the country, you look fine today. no problems at all. a little bit of light rain in arizona. tomorrow we watch that storm moving into the middle of the country. but more rain. really no issues. temperatures continue to be mild, lynn, from coast to coast. >> thanks, bill. coming up, hollywood's top dog is chosen. plus, she's the lucky one chosen

to be sports illustrated swimsuit cover girl. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. this will make you stick around. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] now there's a mileage card that offers special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪ okay. what's your secret?

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it's after midnight which means it's officially valentine's day. [ applause ] >> or as men in our audience just put it, oh, my god. oh, i mean, i knew that. >> get this. in a new interview rick santorum said women might not be suited for military action because they're emotions aren't suited for combat. which can mean only one thing. he's never seen an episode of

the view. >> election news this weekend was the maine caucuses. here's the crazy part. adele actually won that too. isn't that amazing. tonight jimmy welcomes celebrity apprentice host donald trump and singer jake owen. that's weeknights at 12:35, 11:35 central time on your local nbc station. time for entertainment news. this year's swimsuit edition is out and as always, it's making a splash. a 19-year-old kate upton from melbourne, florida. she joins heidi klum, tyra banks and brooklyn decker as some who have appeared in the coveted modeling role of the swimsuit issue cover girl. her great grandfather was one of the founders of whirlpool. fun facts for the day. paul mccartney and his wife stopped by to lay a bouquet of yellow roses at a makeshift

memorial for whitney houston. believe it or not, a trending topic on twitter monday just hours after the former beatle performed at the grammys was, who is paul mccartney? very strange. could it be a sign the artist is heading for oscar glory? the film's four-legged star was named top dog in a movie last night. in hollywood at the first ever golden collar awards. one of the many reasons i have to go to this movie. i am constantly reminded that this is one movie i have to see. >> then you're going to report back to me. you know me. >> you refuse. because it's a silent movie. everybody says it's fantastic. you really aren't paying attention because your mind is still on the swimsuit cover. isn't it? >> she's going to be here today at 30 rock. she's going to be on the "today" show. matt lauer is interviewing her. i'm trying to figure out how to manipulate into the studio. >> you're blushing. >> am i blushing?

>> i just -- you've been thinking about this awe all day. >> yes. >> i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. way too early with willie geist starts right now. it is valentine's day and president obama got republicans a shiny new budget to play with. but they're keeping the receipt and sending it back. because it raises taxes and they say it doesn't make any big moves on trending entitlement program. the question is, depressing as it may be, should we write off this election year and assume nothing significant is going to get done on capitol hill? rick santorum and mitt romney mixing it up in michigan. the primary is two weeks from today. the question is, whatever happened to that state belonging to the man whose father was governor there? we've got new polls to show you. a sitting supreme court justice is robbed at machete point inside his caribbean vacation home. the question is, was his security detail on the beach drinking my